Cancer and its treatments are qualifying conditions in most of the 37 states and Washington D.C. that have legalized medical cannabis, but the supporting evidence for most of its therapeutic uses lacks the standard rigor expected for managing cancer symptoms. There are virtually no long-term studies evaluating the potential benefits and harms of cannabis use in persons treated with immunotherapy for cancer. Particularly because cannabis has immunomodulatory effects, its consumption among patients treated with immunotherapy needs to be carefully studied. Among this group of cancer patients, there is a unique opportunity to generate crucial long-term data on the impact of cannabis use on patient-reported outcomes and trajectories, including benefits and harms, changes in immune function, and tumor progression. Moreover, little is known about how social determinants of health (SDoH; i.e., neighborhood disadvantage), which are associated with worse cancer and symptom outcomes, intersect with cannabis use to potentially mitigate these disparities.
Given the prevalence of cannabis use for symptom management in persons treated with immunotherapy, the overarching goal of this study is to advance the science regarding the longitudinal benefits and harms of cannabis use among those treated with immunotherapy for cancer.
This study is being conducted at the University at Buffalo in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center
Selected Publications
Coming soon…
Interested?
We are seeking Cannabis and Non-Cannabis users who …
- Have been diagnosed with cancer
- Are being treated via Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) for cancer
Contact
If you fit the above criteria, please contact us today;
- Phone: 716-829-2024
- Email: impact-c@buffalo.edu